Top 10 '80s Songs with Harmonies That Give us Chills

MsMojo

Forty-something years later, we still have chills. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for those 1980s hits that featured some truly inspired vocal harmonies.

Transcript

00:00 *Music*

00:06 Welcome to MissMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those 1980s hits that featured some truly inspired vocal harmonies.

00:15 *Music*

00:20 *Music*

00:21 Number 10. Heaven, Warrant

00:24 *Music*

00:30 The world of 1980s glam metal was chock full of artists who sought to combine visual style with musical substance.

00:37 Ballad of Jane by L.A. Guns is a tender song from a band that was otherwise rough, ready, and sleazy.

00:43 *Music*

00:49 Elsewhere, Heaven was a huge hit for songwriter Janie Lane and his group Warrant.

00:54 Lane's reputation as an underrated composer is thankfully starting to gain traction these days,

01:00 and a closer listen to Heaven reveals that yes, there's plenty of opportunities for vocal melodies here on this emotive ballad.

01:08 *Music*

01:15 Lane hit some memorable ones during the verses and pre-choruses.

01:19 While the final refrain includes a choir of backing harmonies that makes Heaven sound angelic AF.

01:25 *Music*

01:32 Number 9. Still Loving You, Scorpions

01:35 The musical map of Germany's Scorpions has sojourned from progressive rock in the 1970s to their headlining arena rock status during the 80s.

01:44 *Music*

01:50 Still Loving You sits smack dab in the middle of the group's most commercially successful period,

01:55 an era of heavy metal anthems and tender ballads.

01:59 Klaus Meine's vocals are a slow burn, subtly harmonizing during the first chorus,

02:04 before taking the opportunity to explore some melodic space.

02:08 *Music*

02:15 Specifically, the song's finale hammers home Meine's ability to connect with Scorpions' audience on an emotional level.

02:23 It's fantastic stuff, and a reminder of this group's impressive versatility.

02:27 *Music*

02:32 Number 8. Love Song, Tesla

02:35 This group from Sacramento, California has always been a musical cut above many of their contemporaries from the 1980s.

02:42 *Music*

02:48 Tesla's influences melded heavy metal, classic rock, and more into a potent sonic stew.

02:54 Need proof? Check out Love Song, one of Tesla's best tunes,

02:58 and one that exemplified the band's guitar pyrotechnics and Jeff Keith's powerful vocals.

03:03 Guitarists Frank Hannon and Tommy Skiok have their time to shine,

03:07 but it's the "Love Will Find A Way" section that appears after their solos, which really tugs at the heartstrings.

03:13 *Music*

03:18 Love Song didn't need to be both heavy and dramatically melodic,

03:21 but at the end of the day, we're so thankful that it is.

03:25 *Music*

03:30 Number 7. Wanted, Dead or Alive

03:33 Bon Jovi! There are a number of ways vocal harmonies can be executed in the recording studio.

03:39 Sometimes, a lead singer can record a separate track in order to achieve this aim.

03:44 *Music*

03:50 Other times, there's that magical moment when two members of a group work together in, well, harmony.

03:57 Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora take turns on lead vocals,

04:02 but the joint singing that begins on the second chorus of Wanted, Dead or Alive are something to behold.

04:07 *Music*

04:16 Meanwhile, the final verse and refrain go for broke, with both JBJ and Richie rockin' 'em all,

04:22 with harmony work that helped cement the group as certified 80s icons.

04:27 *Music*

04:32 Number 6. Tears Are Falling, Kiss

04:35 The 1970s may have been a halcyon period for Rock God's Kiss, but don't sleep on the group's 80s output.

04:42 *Music*

04:46 This era saw guitarist and songwriter Paul Stanley taking lead vocals more often,

04:52 and his more melodic approach allowed songs like Tears Are Falling to shine.

04:56 Don't let the extravagant video clip fool you.

04:58 The harmonized chorus to Tears Are Falling is a certified banger.

05:03 *Music*

05:11 It's dramatic, even slightly melancholic, and drenched in pristine 80s production.

05:16 Kiss even busted out Tears Are Falling during some shows on their Farewell Tour,

05:21 proving that a great song is a great song, regardless of the era.

05:25 *Music*

05:33 Number 5. Love Bites, Def Leppard

05:36 The production style of Mutt Lang was one that went hard in the paint.

05:40 Def Leppard's Hysteria album is full of layered vocal tracks that allowed singer Joe Elliott tons of room to harmonize himself.

05:48 *Music*

05:55 He did so in wonderful fashion on Love Bites,

05:59 a massively successful single that contained some palpably resonant emotion.

06:04 Elliott already gives us goosebumps on the song's pre-chorus,

06:07 but make sure to save some solid gold for that main refrain.

06:11 *Music*

06:19 This trend continues on the second verse,

06:21 bulking up with more harmonies before the song's finale melds Elliott's voice with that killer emotive guitar melody,

06:29 to create pure metal magic.

06:31 *Music*

06:38 Number 4. Glory of Love, Peter Cetera

06:42 The soaring tenor voice of Peter Cetera served the bass player well within the ranks of his former group, Chicago.

06:49 *Music*

06:55 Cetera's departure in 1985 allowed him to explore other projects, however,

07:00 including this soundtrack cut from the smash 1986 film, The Karate Kid Part 2.

07:06 This second installment in the franchise benefited from Glory of Love,

07:10 a polished adult contemporary tune that works as a clinic for Cetera's one-of-a-kind voice.

07:16 *Music*

07:22 The singer knows when to harmonize and when to hang back,

07:26 punctuating the bridge and each chorus with melodic lines that bring us right back to the movie theater each and every time.

07:33 *Music*

07:41 Number 3. Alone, Heart

07:44 The story of Alone is a long one.

07:47 Its history dates all the way back to the 1983 debut from a group called I-10,

07:53 before also being adapted for the TV show, Dreams.

07:56 *Music*

08:01 That version was co-performed by John Stamos, believe it or not.

08:05 *Music*

08:09 It's Heart's take on Alone, however, that employs the vocal power of Ann Wilson.

08:14 Her harmonies with guitarist and sister Nancy are just what Alone needs to push it from good to great.

08:20 We can tell right from that first harmony.

08:23 *Music*

08:27 This is amazing stuff.

08:29 Alone was certainly a far cry from Heart's arena rock hits from the 1970s,

08:34 but we'd argue that this was the group's best era full stop.

08:38 *Music*

08:48 Number 2. I Just Died in Your Arms, Cutting Crew

08:52 The English group Cutting Crew probably knew that they had a killer vocal harmony waiting in the wings,

08:58 but they made us wait for the chorus to deliver the goods.

09:01 *Music*

09:07 I Just Died in Your Arms opens with the chorus,

09:10 but waits until the second go-round to hit us with the good stuff.

09:14 Lead vocalist Nick Van Eid isn't done just yet though,

09:18 and adds phenomenal harmony for the song's bridge that really solidifies the deal.

09:23 *Music*

09:31 I Just Died in Your Arms is one of the best pop tunes of the 1980s,

09:36 with much of the credit owned to the arrangement of Eid's enchanting vocals.

09:40 *Music*

09:47 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

09:51 Nothing's gonna stop us now.

09:53 1986 Starship, from the golden era of 80s film soundtracks.

09:58 *Music*

10:04 Home Sweet Home

10:05 Motley Crue, prototypical power ballad excellence.

10:09 *Music*

10:16 Sister Christian

10:17 Night Ranger

10:19 Try listening to this song without thinking of Boogie Nights.

10:22 *Music*

10:28 I Wanna Know What Love Is

10:30 Foreigner

10:31 Arena rockers get sensitive.

10:33 *Music*

10:38 Eternal Flame

10:39 The Bangles

10:40 Sparse arrangements and a brilliant chorus.

10:44 *Music*

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11:03 Number 1. Angel - Aerosmith

11:08 Let's face it, we could have easily populated this list with dozens of great Aerosmith songs.

11:14 Angel from 1986 just hits us in the feels from note one.

11:18 As Aerosmith returns with a comeback effort that's slick and to the point.

11:23 *Music*

11:28 This power ballad features a career highlight performance from frontman Steven Tyler,

11:33 who kicks out fantastic harmonies on the song's chorus and second verse.

11:38 It's the bridge where Angel truly shines however,

11:42 as Tyler sings his heart out for a section that makes us weep while we pump our collective fists.

11:48 *Music*

11:56 We get chills every time man.

11:59 *Music*

12:04 Are you an 80s kid? Do you wish you were? Let us know in the comments.

12:08 *Music*

12:13 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.

12:17 And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

12:21 *Music*

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